Community Fair Trade recycled plastic

We're committed to tackling the plastic crisis differently

We want to find a use for the plastic that already exists in the world. By using Community Fair Trade recycled plastic from India, where plastic waste generation is estimated at 9.4 million tonnes every year, we’re collaborating with our partner Plastics for Change to support the livelihoods of plastic ‘waste pickers’ while reducing plastic waste.

The problem with plastic

It’s no secret that plastic pollution has become a global crisis and the planet is drowning in plastic. It affects marine and ocean life, but it affects people, too.

In India, almost a third of waste is uncollected. This has led to an estimated 1.5 million ‘waste pickers’ – unsung heroes who work tirelessly to clean up their cities’ streets in this informal sector. Waste pickers are mostly made up of ‘dalits’ (formally known as ‘untouchables’), the lowest social group in India’s caste system. This means that they are vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation and poor working conditions.

That’s why we want to do more than help tackle plastic pollution. We want to contribute to driving social change and helping empower people, too. In Bengaluru, we’re working with our Community Fair Trade partner, Plastics for Change, who work with waste pickers to give them the support and recognition they deserve.

Four ways plastic waste affects people

1. No waste management

Nearly 3 billion people around the planet are living in countries without waste management – that’s almost half of the world’s population.

2. Waste pickers are vulnerable

India alone has 1.5 million waste pickers working in the informal sector to clean up their streets and cities.

3. Volatile pricing

The price for collected plastic can be volatile due to market fluctuations. Our Community Fair Trade Partner, Plastics For Change, offers a guaranteed minimum price for collected plastic, no matter what changes there are in the market.

4. Exploitation

Waste pickers are vulnerable to harassment, displacement and limited access to decent health and financial services.

What we're doing to help

We’re committed to tackling the plastic crisis differently. Not using plastic isn’t the only answer – something has to be done about the huge amount of recyclable plastic that already exists in the world. That’s why, in 2019, we forged a Community Fair Trade partnership with Plastics For Change in India. Through this partnership, we are able to buy high-quality, fully traceable, community-sourced recycled plastic. Plastics For Change helps empower the waste pickers in its supply chain by providing access to more sanitary working conditions, a stable income, and the respect and recognition they deserve.

Meet our Community Fair Trade partner, Plastics For Change

Plastics For Change is a for-profit organisation whose mission is to change the social and environmental impact of plastic. Through transforming discarded plastic into high-quality recycled materials, Plastics For Change is helping support the livelihoods of waste pickers by creating opportunities for them to earn a stable income, while keeping plastic out of oceans and landfills. In 2019, with The Body Shop, Plastics for Change was the first to launch fair trade* verified recycled plastic.

*In 2019, Plastics for Change was verified by the World Fair Trade Organization as a Fair Trade Guarantee member.

Case studies: The people who make our partnership possible

Meet Annamma

Annamma was a waste picker since she was a child. Now she is a manager of a Dry Waste Collection Centre.

With the help of Plastics for Change and Hasiru Dala, Annamma received managerial training and now employs a number of people, including her husband. Annamma’s daughter is attending a plastic engineering course. Annamma wants her daughter to stay in the waste management business.

Meet Krishna

He had a difficult childhood watching his mother struggle when they lost his father, but discovering he could make money from waste picking allowed him to build his future.

With the help of Plastics for Change and Hasiru Dala, Krishna went from waste picking to collecting waste from 24 different locations in the city. Now, he manages a team that provides a monthly waste collection service for 3-star hotels. Krishna has high ambitions for the future of other waste pickers in Bengaluru.

How we are using recycled plastic

After our plastic is collected and sorted in waste segregation centres, it is cleaned, compressed into bales and transported to Europe where it is converted, rigorously cleaned and sterilised. The resultant resin is tested to food grade standards and is then converted into granules and recycled back into our bottles.

We’ve been using Plastics For Change recycled plastics since 2019. While we started with Plastics For Change materials in our 250ml shampoo and conditioner bottles, today the PET components of our shower gel, body lotion, Body Butter, Body Yogurt, and body scrub bottles and tubs contain a minimum of 50% Plastics For Change recycled plastic.

We know we’ve got a long way to go, but don’t worry – we’re working on how to incorporate even more Community Fair Trade recycled plastic from Plastics For Change into our packaging. Who knows what we can achieve together next?